LA firefighters are racing against Santa Ana winds to control a fire near the Getty museum. Here are the latest updates.

• The Getty Fire broke out early Monday morning near the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It burned 656 acres, damaging or destroying 14 homes. 
• LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger were among thousands of residents forced to evacuate.
• Santa Ana winds have fueled the fire's westward spread. 
• The National Weather Service issued an extreme red-flag warning for the area, since strong winds are expected Tuesday night through Thursday evening.
• As the climate warms, California's wildfire season is getting longer, and weather conditions that bring a risk of wildfires are becoming more common.
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A fire that broke out near the Getty Center around 1:30 a.m. Monday morning has spread across 656 acres in Los Angeles.

The blaze, called the Getty Fire, has forced thousands to flee their homes, including LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Firefighters are scrambling to contain the fire before Santa Ana winds strengthen again on Tuesday night. The National Weather Service issued an "extreme red-flag warning" through 6 p.m. on Thursday.

The wind event could be "one of the strongest of recent memory," the National Weather Service said. The agency expects gusts of up to 70 mph across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with 80-mph gusts likely. Humidity as low as 1% is expected in the most windy locations, making vegetation easy to ignite.

"It only takes one ember to blow downwind to start another fire," LA Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said in a press conference Tuesday morning. "Embers have been known to travel several miles, so we're very concerned about tonight's wind event."

The fire was 5% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Flames have destroyed at least eight homes and damaged at least six. The blaze threatens another 7,091 homes. 

'Had to emergency evacuate my house'

In a press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned residents to "get out when we say get out," and never to fight flames with garden hoses.

"The only thing you cannot replace is you and your family," he said.

Schwarzenegger echoed the warning, tweeting: "If you are in an evacuation zone, don't screw around. Get out."

Early Monday morning, LeBron James said on Twitter that he'd done exactly that: "Had to emergency evacuate my house and I've been driving around with my family trying to get rooms." Eighteen minutes later, he said they'd found accommodations.

Affected residents can find shelter at the Westwood Recreation Center and the Palisades Recreation Center. The West Valley and West LA animal shelters are also open to pets, and the Hansen Dam Recreation Area is accepting large animals.

Though flames have been visible from the Getty Center, the museum itself is safe for now.

"Many have asked about the art — it is protected by state-of-the-art technology," the museum said in a statement on Twitter. "The safest place for the art and library collections is inside."

Although the flames led parts of the 405 freeway to close temporarily, the roadway has since reopened.

Santa Ana winds are spreading fires quickly across California

Powerful Santa Ana winds have helped the Getty Fire spread, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

The Santa Anas blow down from neighboring mountains toward the southern California coast during the fall and winter, picking up speed and heat as they travel through narrow passes and down toward sea level. Across California, strong winds have coincided with dry conditions to fuel several wildfires, including the rapidly spreading Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. (In the northern part of the state, the phenomenon is referred to as Diablo winds.)

"It's a dangerous season right now," Terrazas said. "We have not had any significant rainfall for a period of time. So that's why we're very, very concerned about these weather conditions."

Climate change is increasing wildfire risk 

Individual wildfires can't be directly attributed to climate change, but accelerated warming increases their likelihood.

"Climate change, with rising temperatures and shifts in precipitation patterns, is amplifying the risk of wildfires and prolonging the season," the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a July release.

This year fits that trend so far. July was the hottest month ever recorded, and 2019 overall is on pace to be the third-hottest on record globally, according to Climate Central. 

The average wildfire season is 78 days longer there than it was 50 years ago, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. That's because dying trees and vegetation are drying out (and becoming more available to burn) earlier in the year.

Large wildfires in the US now burn more than twice the area they did in 1970. A recent study found that the portion of California that burns from wildfires every year has increased more than five-fold since 1972. 

Nine of the 10 biggest fires in the state's history have occurred since the year 2003.

"No matter how hard we try, the fires are going to keep getting bigger, and the reason is really clear," climatologist Park Williams told Columbia University's Center for Climate and Life. "Climate is really running the show in terms of what burns."

Last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown warned the state has entered "uncharted territory."

"Since civilization emerged 10,000 years ago, we haven't had this kind of heat condition, and it's going to continue getting worse," he said.

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